


strangers with some memories

by majestyrose



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - High School, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Fake/Pretend Relationship, Gay Keith (Voltron), Keith is a model, M/M, Mutual Pining, Social Media, What Have I Done, idk what i am doing but i will update the tags as i am writing!, lance is a senior student
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-05-20 21:54:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14902730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/majestyrose/pseuds/majestyrose
Summary: Ever since the first grade, Keith and Lance were best friends. In fact, Lance had given Keith "best friend rings" for his 11th birthday. However, Keith mysteriously left when Lance came back from his family vacation to Cuba, leaving him with so many questions.It's senior year and Lance moved on - that is, until he saw a familiar face sporting a specific ring on the cover of Altea Magazine.





	1. back to you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you guys enjoy this fic! it's summer vacation, and hopefully i'll be able to update you guys on this soon!!!
> 
> the summary is bit of a mess, but i just wanted to write something that just popped in my head lol
> 
> without further ado, here we go!

Keith and Lance.

 

Lance and Keith.

 

These two were inseparable in elementary school. They were, quite literally, two peas in a pod, as they did everything together. There was just no possible way one would would leave the other. Even if they did get into a big argument, it was also resolved within hours - only because they can't bear the thought of the other not being by their side. Their friendship was truly something.

 

It was Keith's 11th birthday. Keith wasn't the most sociable person in the 5th grade. In fact, he was  _very_ awkward. But it was okay, because he had Lance and Lance was the only one who mattered. So, for Keith's birthday, it was just his parents, Lance, and himself. He had a chocolate cake covered in a ton of red frosting - Keith's absolute favorite color. The group sang "Happy Birthday" to Keith and after blowing his numbered candles, he received birthday punches from Lance. It actually hurt a lot, but Keith wouldn't admit to that.

"Happy birthday Keeeeeeith! Gosh, I still can't believe you're a year older than me! You're sooo old." 

Keith pushed Lance, letting out a small laugh, "How many times are you going to tell me 'happy birthday'? And being a year older has its downsides... Like dying earlier."

Lance gasped, "Keith, no! I couldn't dream of a world where you weren't by my side! Promise me that we'd die together, when we're like... 85 and in a nursing home. Maybe I'd crack a joke and we can die of laughter."

"You're so weird, Lance." 

"Wait that reminds me! Here's your birthday gift..." Lance went to grab something from his pocket and revealed it to Keith with the palms of his hands. "Ta-da!"

It was a small white box wrapped in red ribbon. Lance shoved the gift to Keith's hands and Keith held it for a second or two before the brown-haired boy ushered him to open it. Unraveling the red ribbon, he opened the box. Under the cover disclosed two silver rings, one with a small red jewel engraved to it and the other with a small blue jewel. 

Keith looked up and Lance gave a toothy grin, which exposed his multi-colored braces, "Look, they're best friend rings! With our favorite colors too, that way everyone in the entire world and galaxy knows that we're best friends." Keith smiled and gave Lance the biggest hug ever, "Thank you, Lance."

 

* * *

 

It was officially summer vacation, as the end of the 5th grade year had come to an end. Lance's family had booked a flight to Cuba for a family vacation a few hours after the end of the school year, so Lance's only way to say goodbye to Keith was minutes after the final bell had rung.

Lance gave Keith a hug that lasted for what seemed to be forever, "I'm going to miss you buddy! But I promise to buy you lots of souvenirs." 

Keith smiled, "Don't forget to send me a postcard, okay? I want to keep in touch with you over the month and I'll be waiting for you in July!"

 

Needless to say, the Cuba trip was amazing.

 

On the car ride back from the airport, Lance's hands were full of bags of souvenirs for Keith. His family was actually driving Lance to Keith's house, seeing as it has a full month of separation between the two. Lance was jittery and excited to see Keith again and to tell him of his adventures. Suddenly, the van came to an abrupt stop, causing Lance to smash his face into the seat in front of him, which resulted in a few snickers from his siblings.

"Papa! What gives?!"

Lance looked to his right and his heart immediately sunk. There was a sign on the front of Keith's house.

 

**FOR SALE**

 

Well, on the front of what  _used_ to be Keith's house. 

The ride to Lance's houses was quiet, but all you could hear from the back seat were a few snuffles. He covered his face, not wanting his siblings to see the tears rolling down. 

"He didn't even say goodbye."

 

* * *

 

_**A few years later.. - SENIOR YEAR** _

 

"Huuuuunk. Help me out, please? I forgot to do the homework for stats." 

Several years had passed from that summer and Lance was now a senior. Lance's braces were gone and he underwent what you would call a "glo-up." He lost a bit of his fat after joining the track team his freshman year and his skin is  _literally glowing_ after he splurged his allowances on skincare products. Lance got a growth spurt during his awkward middle school years, and overall doing much better ever since that summertime sadness.

Hunk sighed, "Fine, but only because I'm a nice person." 

Hunk Garrett was a friend Lance made on the first week of middle school. He saw that Hunk was in a few of his classes and he was sitting alone during lunch. Lance sat with him, which was a good excuse to leave his shitty friends from elementary school, and to make friends with someone who seemed sweet. They discussed their love of space and garlic knots and the two of them immediately connected.

"You're an angel, my knight in shining armor, my SAVIOR. Thank you so much Hunk." Lance took Hunk's paper and copied the answers down. It was lunch and the class after this is Lance's statistics class, which he absolutely adored. It took some time to copy the answers down because Lance was complaining about how uncomfortable it was to write. 

Hunk rested on his arm, "I know we talked about this before, but if your hand hurts so much, why don't you take off your ring?"

 

Lance froze. He stopped writing and stared at the silver ring that was on his right ring finger; the ring he had gotten his childhood best friend years ago. Sure, he could move it to the other side, but the other boy wore it on his left hand.

"I don't want to lose it. I almost lost it in 8th grade, remember? I thought I left it in science class and had a nervous breakdown before I realized it was in my pocket the whole time. Besides... it's really the only thing I have to remember of my childhood friend. You know, besides toys, old photographs, and... memories."

Hunk gave a emphatic smile and patted Lance's shoulder, resulting in Lance giving a huge sigh. It's been six years, why is he still hung up about this? Maybe his childhood friend forgot about Lance at this point.

 

"Hey losers." Lance and Hunk looked up from their table and saw Pidge holding a container of fries.

Pidge was another friend of Lance's. They were actually two years younger than him and Hunk, but Pidge was considered a genius and was able to move up two grades. Pidge and Lance met during his sophomore year, when he  _accidentally_ spilled a strawberry milkshake over one of Pidge's bullies. 

Besides a container of fries, Pidge had the latest issue of  _Altea Magazine_ on her other arm.  _Altea_ was the most popular fashion and lifestyle magazine in the nation, making it a big influencer when it comes to trends.

Hunk raised an eyebrow, "You have an issue of Altea? That's new, I would've assumed you'd be reading a book on conspiracy theories." 

Taking a seat in front of the two, Pidge shrugged, "I wanted to try something new for a change, but conspiracy theories will always have a special place in my heart." They laid their container of fries on the lunch table and began to read through the magazine.

Lance stretched his back, "20 problems copied in the span of ten minutes! I think I just broke a world record." Pidge snorted, "You're impossible."

 

Gazing at what Pidge was reading, Lance gasped. "No way! Is that the latest issue of  _Altea?_ Sweet!" He took the magazine from Pidge's little hands. "Lance! I was just reading it!"

He tuned out Pidge and looked at the cover of  _Altea._ There was a male model, one he had never seen before, who had black hair that seemed to be... a mullet? The male model had piercing indigo eyes and he was wearing a suit. Lance stared at the cover for a few seconds because there was just something that seemed so familiar about this model. 

Just then, Lance's eyes met something on the model's fingers.

 

It was a silver ring, engraved with a small red jewel.

 

Lance furrowed his eyebrows. What the fuck? He shook his head, maybe the familiarity of this model was due to the ring. Taking another good luck at the cover, his eyes were locked to a single header and his eyes widened.

 

**MAMORA AGENCY'S _KEITH KOGANE_ ON HIS LIFE AS THE NEW FACE... ** _more on page 85_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> title: back to you - selena gomez 
> 
> AAAAAAAA
> 
> i honestly don't know where i am going with this fic, but i hope you guys tag along in my journey to completing this fic!
> 
> thanks for reading and see you guys at the next update! <3


	2. chasing fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey i'm back!! i really have nothing to do these days, so i hope you guys enjoy the somewhat fast updates?
> 
> also, i'm so shocked that i reached 50+ kudos from the first chapter alone! that really motivates me to continue writing this fic ;')
> 
> this was a little bit longer than the first chapter, just because i felt like it should've been? does that make sense? idk. 
> 
> as always, hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

 

**"MAMORA AGENCY'S _KEITH KOGANE_ ON HIS LIFE AS THE NEW FACE**

by A. Ryter

Keith Kogane is the new rising model that has simply captured the hearts of everyone in the nation. Under his manager, Kolivan, Kogane was able to get a spot as _Mamora Agency_ 's new face.  _Mamora Agency_ is one of the most powerful modeling agencies in America, with very few models being able to join. I was able to catch an interview with the one and only Keith Kogane about his new life.

**Q: So Keith, how does it feel to be the new face of Mamora Agency?**

A: To be honest, I wouldn't have expected something like to happen in my entire lifetime. I mean, I really couldn't have done it without my manager and the support of my family members. They were there through my ups and downs, and I hope I did them justice. 

**Q: Is the change drastic? Do people notice you a lot more now?**

A: Definitely. I feel as if I became somewhat of an overnight sensation, you know? I only started modeling a few years ago, but that was only in a few clothing advertisements. Even then I barely got recognized. Now whenever I'm out and about, so many people stop me for pictures. It's crazy, really."

 

* * *

 

Keith sighed, shutting the magazine issue and throwing it across his couch. He didn't want to finish the article about him because the half of the things written in the interview were things Keith didn't even say. He never understood why some journalists twist words around. It's not like anyone is going to find Keith more interesting.

Ever since he got accepted into a spot at  _Mamora Agency,_ things have been... hectic. Along with being the cover of  _Altea Magazine,_ his publicity has gone through the roof. On his Instagram, he easily went from 250,000 followers to nearly a million; and it's increasing by the second. The comments on his Instagram were what really got to him. There were so many disturbing comments and direct messages of teenage girls calling him "daddy" . This was the sole reason he didn't really delve into his comment section... or his DM's.

 

As of now, Keith was in his living room. He lived in a pretty big apartment that was in the city. His parents weren't around anymore and it was just him. 

 

It gets pretty lonely.

 

Just as he was zoning out and thinking about his life, his phone starts to ring from the coffee table. Keith took it and looked at his screen.

 

**INCOMING CALL FROM _KOLIVAN_**

 

Oh _great_ , what does this guy want now?

Honestly, Kolivan was a good manager and all, but it just  _sucked_ how he gives so many restrictions. From time to time, Keith rebels because he should be able to make his own decisions.

 

Keith picked up the phone, "Hey Kolivan, what's up?"

On the other end was a man who was  _clearly_ angry, "Keith, where are you? Don't you remember that you have a public panel at the mall, _today?"_

Oh... shit. SHIT SHIT SHIT  _SHIT SHIT-_

Giving a small nervous laugh, Keith replied, "Oh, I'm... practically on the way there! I'll see you in five. Okay, bye."

" _KOGANE_!"

Keith hung up on Kolivan and sprinted to his bedroom, trying to find something presentable. He can't believe that he forgot his first major event. It's going to take a miracle to get Kolivan to forgive him. 

Keith opted to wearing everything black, because honestly he just didn't have time to prepare. He wore a black hoodie with an alien patch, black joggers, and converse. To _hopefully_ avoid a crowd, he wore black sunglasses and went to call for an Uber to the local mall.

 

* * *

 

"EARTH TO LANCE! DId you not hear a word we  _just_ said?"

Lance blinked back to reality after reading the article about Keith. In front of him, he can see Pidge raising her eyebrows. Their hands were out, signifying for Lance to give back their magazine. He sighed and gave it back, even though he wasn't finished reading about the male model. 

Pidge took it and gave a little cough, "As Hunk and I were saying, are you down to go to the mall today? There's this great sale at this one electronics store and I need some parts to finish my latest robotics project." 

"Sure, why not? Just helps me procrastinate on studying for the next government test." 

Hunk shook his head, "Boy, you need to get your priorities straight." 

The lunch bell rang and the gang had one more period before they headed off to the mall. Unfortunately for Lance, his last class was statistics - the most boring class ever. He can't help that the teacher talks in such a monotone voice. Lance found himself fidgeting a lot in that class, from tapping his pencil to shaking his leg. Just an hour and thirty minutes left of the school day, then he can go chill with his friends.

But to be honest, he wasn't thinking about going to the mall. Lance couldn't help but think of a certain boy.

 

* * *

 

The trio met up after school at the front. They were all carpooling in Hunk's car, with Lance in the shotgun seat ("I called shotgun first!" "Fuck you.") and Pidge sitting in the back. Lance riding in shotgun was "literally the worst", in the words of Pidge. Since he was in charge of the aux, all he ever did was play Beyoncé. Hunk and Lance were singing along, whereas Pidge was gauging her ears off. 

When they finally arrived at the mall, there was a massive amount of teenage girls - more than usual, anyway. Lance didn't think much of it. It was a Friday and there were probably good sales, or something. 

They walked by an area that was heavily surrounded by red ropes. Not to mention, there were a lot of people crowding around a specific area. Lance couldn't help but wonder  _why._

 

That was when he heard it.

 

A person with a microphone was speaking and they were introducing someone. "Without further ado, give it up for the new face of Mamora Agency: Keith Kogane!"

 

Honestly, what are the chances? Lance stopped walking and Hunk first noticed. "Hey, you okay?" Without taking his eyes off of the source of the sound, he replied, "Uh... yeah. Actually, there's something I need to do real quick. You and Pidge can go ahead and buy her parts."

Hunk shrugged and walked off with Pidge. Lance was pushing people to go to the front of... whatever this event was.  He was behind three rows of people, and because of his height, he was able to see the one and only Keith Kogane.

He was literally shrouded in black. Keith had sunglasses that were sitting on top of his hair and to be honest he looked... cool.

 

Keith was sitting on a chair and it seemed to be like a interview of some sorts. The interviewer was asking Keith questions and Keith spoke with little hesitance to his answers. 

"So Keith! I can't help but notice that you're wearing a ring in all of your modeling photos. Does it signify something?" 

Lance watched as Keith awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Uh... yeah, it actually does. You see, one of my good childhood friends got it for me for my 11th birthday. The base of the ring is adjustable, thankfully, so I'm still able to wear it eight years later." 

The interviewer gave a smile, "That's sweet! Are you still friends with this childhood friend?"

Keith paused for a moment before lightly rubbing his thumb over the ring. "That's kind of complicated to answer. I mean, I hope we are? I haven't seen him in forever, though I wouldn't blame him if he no longer wanted to be..."

Keith turned his face towards his audience as he was finishing off his sentence. 

 

As fate would have it, Keith had made contact with Lance's eyes.

Lance saw that Keith's eyes went wide in disbelief, but nonetheless Keith finished off his answer with a bit confusion.

"Friends...?"

It felt like an question, rather than a stable answer towards the interviewer. And it was directed towards Lance, or maybe it was just wishful thinking.

Suddenly, Lance’s heads were filled with so many questions. Why is Keith here? What is even happening to his life right now? How could he show up literally out of nowhere and somehow renter into Lance's life?

It was too much to take in. First he finds out that his childhood best friend is a new face for a famous modeling industry and now he’s literally meters away from him. Fate is a such cruel, cruel thing. 

 

* * *

 

Keith turned his face back to the interviewer and gave them a short smile. Although it was fake, he had to keep up the façade, or else Kolivan was literally going to kill him. 

But still, how could he focus when someone who looked literally like Lance was in the crowd? Maybe he was hallucinating because he’s of all of the childhood talk. Maybe it was actually him?

Wishful thinking can be a pain in the ass. 

He didn’t really have time to think about it now. Keith’s mind was focused on the panel and then later, some fans would be able to take pictures with him. 

The interviewer asked more questions and Keith answered. He kept his gaze towards them because he didn’t want to make eye contact with someone who could potentially be his childhood best friend. 

Even so, it’s been years. Why is he so afraid?  Keith knew the answer to that, though he would never admit it to himself. 

“Thank you Mr. Kogane for the splendid interview! Now folks, here’s your chance to come and snap some pictures with him!” The crowd, containing a majority of girls, were ecstatic. Keith, on the other hand, hoped that he would somehow make it through this event with all these thoughts bubbling in his head.

 

* * *

 

And by the time the interviewer concluded the panel, Lance was out of the crowd. 

He was only here to hang out with his friends and because Pidge needed their parts. He wasn’t emotionally ready to accept that his childhood friend had come back after eight long years.

Shaking his head, Lance just wanted to forget about the whole Keith situation. 

 

He caught up with Hunk and Pidge just as they were paying for their parts at the electronic store. The trio were on their way to the food court. Even though lunch was a few hours ago, Lance was starving because he didn't even get a chance to eat. While they were on there way to the court, they were all just conversing about particular people in their school.

Pidge sighed as they were scrolling through their Instagram, "Did you guys know that Nyma is with another guy?" 

Hunk raised his eyebrows, "I thought she was still with Rolo? Or am I just missing something?"

 

"Nyma and Rolo have this on-and-off relationship going on. It's really weird and complicated, that's why I'm not really interested in hearing about them." said Lance, pursing his lips.

Pidge snorted, "Sure, okay. Do you remember sophomore year when you asked her out and she-"

Lance's face flushed with embarrassment. When Nyma and Rolo had broken up a few weeks ago, Lance thought it was the perfect chance to get with Nyma. So, he asked her out with roses and a sign to Homecoming, except he got turned down real hard. Apparently, Nyma and Rolo had gotten back the same day. That was not Lance's greatest moment.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just forget about that, okay? I felt like a fucking idiot the next day, especially since Rolo was in my English class. That was literally the worst year of my life." 

Hunk gave a small chuckle, "How could I forget? You came over to my house eating gallons of ice cream, literally bawling your eyes off."

It was all good fun, Lance didn't mind talking about it, but it was definitely one of his top ten most embarrassing moments.

 

"That was a memorable day actually, except for the part I literally threw up from eating too much." 

The trio laughed and they made it to the food court. Looking at the options, there was too many to pick from. Lance moved his head from side to side, gazing at the different food vendors, "So what are you guys feeling? Panda Express? Pizza? Ooh! How about..."

 

Suddenly, Lance felt something cold splash against his shirt and a body. Furrowing his eyebrows, he looked down at his shirt to see that there was strawberry milkshake all over. "Dude, what the hell?"

Lance looked up to see a person  _in all black_. Their hood was up from their hoodie and they seemed to be wearing sunglasses. Although their eyes were covered, their mouth was wide open from shock. 

"Shit, sorry man. I'm in a  _big rush_ and I wasn't looking at where I was going. I'm so so sorry. I'll pay for a new shirt or something...? Geez, I'm so sorry-"

Lance put his hand on the stranger's shoulder because they seemed to be distressed from this situation. "Easy there, it's fine. An honest mistake."

The stranger in black sighed in relief, "Thanks for understanding, really. I really do want to make it up to you, I feel so bad..."

They continued to ramble on and to be honest, Lance completely zoned out. There was just something familiar about this person. Lance frowned, why did this stranger remind him of someone?

Just then, a glimmer caught Lance's attention while the stranger was moving his hands around and talking.

Lance picked up the stranger's left hand and they immediately stopped talking.

Looking up at the stranger's eyes, Lance could see from behind the shades that their eyes were wide.

 

Taking off his sunglasses with the other hands, Lance made eye contact with those piercing indigo eyes he remembered seeing on the cover of  _Altea._

"No fucking way. Lance...? Is that really you or is this some sort of dream?" 

 

Standing right in front of Lance was none other than Keith Kogane. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> title: chasing fire - lauv
> 
> haha what the fuck did i just do
> 
> towards the ending, the fic got really messy bc i just SUCK at conversations D: im so srry
> 
> and to clarify about the panel location, at my local mall there’s this area where there is sometimes a fashion show there, so just imagine like a lowered platform of a catwalk (lol??)
> 
> i think for the next chapter, it'll be more Keith-centric? we shall see.
> 
>  
> 
> thank you for reading and i'll see you next time!


	3. in the blink of an eye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hii guys im back with a new chapter! 
> 
> i can't stop alternating perspectives, so i hope you guys are okay with that? i just can't stick to just one person's perspective, unfortunately @-@
> 
> without further ado, enjoy the chapter :)

Was it a good idea to immediately run away after the panel was over?

No, definitely not.

But, Keith did it anway because he was in great need of a strawberry milkshake. Why? Sometimes people crave things at the weirdest of times.

As Kolivan went to talk to some people, Keith took the opportunity to flee from the scene and to go to the food court. It had been years since Keith had gone to this mall, but things haven't changed.

Keith could already see it in the pop culture news: "New Representative of Mamora Agency Runs Away!" or something similar to that. He sighed, placing his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. He really didn't decide on living this lifestyle, but it was really for the benefit of his family.

Finally making it to the food court, he went to one of the vendors and ordered a milkshake. Within a few minutes or so, he got it and was heading his way back to the panel. Hopefully, no one notices him.

Apparently, fate hates his guts.

Just as he turned around, he heard a booming from behind. "KOGANE! WHAT THE _HELL_ WERE YOU THINKING?"

"Oh shit." Keith muttered. Maybe if he made it back to the panel before Kolivan, he'd lessen the consequences? That was highly unlikely, but it was worth a shot.

Keith started bolting across the food court, as if his life depended on it. Clutching onto his milkshake, he headed towards the escalator. Unfortunately, he just so happened to bump into somebody, therefore spilling the contents all over this person.

"Dude, what the hell?"

Oh great, this was just only going to impede him. "Shit, sorry man. I'm in a big rush and I wasn't looking at where I was going. I'm so so sorry. I'll pay for a new shirt or something...? Geez, I'm so sorry-"

Keith was really bad when it came to talking to people. Sure, he managed to talk to dozens of people for the panel, but on the inside he was jittering all over.

The stranger forgave him, much to Keith's relief, but he really has to run away from Kolivan. Who knows how much trouble he's going to be once they're back in the studio?

Keith certainly did _**NOT**_ want to find out.

While Keith was rambling onto the stranger about his apologies and whatnot, the other suddenly took his left hand, which prompted Keith to shut up.

The other looked up and Keith's mind did a 360 flip. How could he not have realized this before? He took off his sunglasses, still maintaining eye contact with the stranger.

The stranger was a tall male, wearing a denim jacket with, unfortunately, a white shirt and black jeans. He had brown hair and a tan skin, as if the sun had kissed them. And boy, he had the bluest eyes Keith has ever seen.

So, turns out the sunglasses didn't fool his eyesight after all. Standing right in front of Keith was none other than Lance McClain. You couldn't blame Keith for not immediately recognizing him though, Lance had certainly changed within the six years they were apart.

"No fucking way. Lance...? Is that really you or is this some sort of dream?"

Keith let out a shaky breath, just what in the world is happening right now? Could the Lance look-alike in the audience had actually been the real Lance all along?

The man scrunched up his eyebrows, "Keith?"

"Okay, can someone tell me _what the fuck_ is going on?" Keith's eyes gazed over to source of the voice, which was a short person to the right of Lance. They looked oddly familiar, but he couldn't figure out why.

"No way! It's Keith Kogane, right?" Keith then looked over to the left of Lance and it was a male who was a bit taller than Lance, sporting an orange headband on their forehead.

"Uh, yeah that's me..." was all Keith could say. He was a bit overwhelmed from this current situation. Sure, he was on the run to get back to the panel without Kolivan kicking his ass, but Keith was standing face to face with his childhood friend.

What are you supposed to do? Hug and talk it out?

Lance started first, "Hey, it's been a long time... Where have you been?" Keith stared at Lance, although he was smiling there was a bit of melancholy in his sentence. His eyes were cloudy, as if a storm was about to brew.

Keith opened his mouth to speak, but he felt a hand on his shoulder. Letting out a big sigh, he already knew who was behind him. Keith slowly looked up, coming face to face with Kolivan's angry scowl.

"Kogane, we need to go and finish the panel."

"Yeah yeah..." Keith gave Lance an apologetic smile, "I'm really sorry, but I have to go. It was nice to see you again, even if it was for a few brief minutes."

They started walking back to the panel. Keith and Lance managed eye contact before the other was out of their view.

And just like that, Keith was gone again.

* * *

 

"So Lance, care to explain?"

Lance, Pidge, and Hunk were seated with their food. They decided to settle with the ever so classic pizza.

Propping his hand to his cheek, Lance sighed. "Do you guys remember the childhood friend who gave me the ring? Yeah, that was Keith." Hunk gasped, "Are you for real? No way!"

Lance slumped down to his seat, he was a bit upset if he had to be honest with himself. He just met Keith again and now he's out of his life for God knows how long. Sure he could wait for Keith to finish up his stupid panel, but who knows how long that's going to take?

Pidge saw Lance's expression and gave a soft expression, "You're clearly... in distraught from this. Why not contact him through his Instagram to see if he's available to talk?"

Lance perked up. That... actually wasn't a bad idea. He took out his phone and began to look for Keith's Instagram, which didn't take long at all since his account was verified.

 

kkogane **✓** | follow  
**85** posts | **1.5** million followers | **90** following  
**keith kogane** \- mothman is real dont @ me

 

Lance snorted at Keith's biography. Keith was always fond of conspirary theories back then. Guess old habits die hard.

Lance took a good look at Keith's page to see that it consisted of mostly selfies with a cat. His thumb was hovering over the "Message" button until he forced himself to physically click it.

 

 **tailorlance:** hey it's me lance. i was just wondering if you wanted to meetup to talk about... stuff. lmk if ur down?

 

Lance hesitated when he was about to press send. Maybe... maybe it's best if they just forget about each other. No, there were way too many questions that were left unanswered for Lance to forget about Keith. Lance let out a big breath and pressed send.

"Oh god, oh god. I did it, I sent it." Lance said in a voice several octaves higher than what it normally was. This caused Hunk and Pidge to jump and a few several glares from people walking by.

"Congrats, now you get to play the waiting game."

* * *

The crew went back home after they ate, to Lance's request because his white shirt was stained with pastel pink from the incident earlier. After changing, Lance flopped himself onto his bed and decided that he deserved a well-needed nap.

* * *

 

"You better not do that again, Kogane. You're risking yourself on losing your career, not to mention damaging the Mamora reputation."

Kolivan was lecturing Keith about the runaway he pulled earlier.

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again."

"You better not."

Kolivan was driving Keith back to his place and the ride was rather unpleasant. Keith doesn't even know why he puts with the stupid shit Mamora wants him to do. Even so, if he were to rebel against them he'd basically have no job.

Keith was on his phone and pulled up Twitter. Clearly, news that he ran away from the panel for a few minutes spread. It wasn't even a big deal. He let out a tweet, trying to assure everyone that he, infact, does not hate his modeling career.

Okay, that was a lie, but the media would eat him up alive if he ever admitted that.

 

 **keith** @kkogane ∙ 36s  
i just wanted a strawberry milkshake.

 

Maybe that's okay? Keith didn't really know how to use social media, if he had to be honest, but it's whatever. He switched to his Instagram and proceeded to like photos from several models he was friends with. Usually Keith doesn't go through his direct messages because people are weird, but he's goes through them occasionally since there are some heartfelt comments out of the nasty ones.

Suddenly, Keith's eyes darted towards a direct message by " _tailorlance_ ", who's profile picture was a picture of a male smiling with his teeth and wearing sunglasses.

Oh. It was Lance.

"Duh..." Keith muttered, his username literally has his name it in.

He clicked on the message. Once Keith read it, he replied.

 

 **tailorlance:** hey it's me lance. i was just wondering if you wanted to meetup to talk about... stuff. lmk if ur down?

 **kkogane:** sure :)  
**kkogane:** i'm sure i can sneak outside tomorrow. is balmera cafe okay?

 

Out of pure curiousity, Keith clicked on Lance's profile.

 

tailorlance | **follow**  
**22** posts | **604** followers | **429** following  
**lance mcclain** \- all bi myself

 

 Keith wasn't going to lie, he found himself flustered after reading Lance's biography, just a bit. He looked at Lance's posts and they consisted of pictures of either his family and friends, selfies, or of school activities.

Keith couldn't help himself and liked all of Lance's photos.

* * *

 

"...What the fuck?"

Lance woke up to find his phone buzzing with notifications. He was popular, sure, but not this popular. His eyes were barely open until he saw that all of the notifications came from Instagram. If it wasn't noted before, he was awake as fuck right now.

He scrolled through his notifications with wide eyes. They all consisted of who's and why's for something. But what could it be? He opened his phone and went on Instagram to see that his likes were flooded with people he didn't even recognize. That's when he came across a comment.

"Why did Keith like all of your photos?"

Upon scrolling through the end of his notifications, Lance found that it was true that Keith had, infact, liked all 22 posts on his Instagram. Sucking a breath in, he went to his direct messages to see that Keith had replied that he was down to talk tomorrow at Balmera Cafe.

Was this actually happening?

 

 **kkogane:** sure :)  
**kkogane:** i'm sure i can sneak outside tomorrow. is balmera cafe okay?

 **tailorlance:** yeah! tomorrow at 12 pm?

  
He got a reply within seconds.

 

 **kkogane:** okay! see you then :)

 

For some reason, Lance found himself breaking into a smile, as if he had gotten the best news of his life.

 

You know, despite the mess Keith had just gotten the two of them into. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> title: liar - gentle bones
> 
> oh dear, what have i done???
> 
> let me know what you guys think of this chapter! i truly do love reading your comments and it encourages me to finish this fic! 
> 
> next chapter we will ~finally~ learn why keith disappeared from that summer. stay tuned!
> 
> until then, see you guys!


	4. just need some closure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: there's a character death pertaining to keith's backstory, just wanted to let you guys know beforehand... just in case.
> 
> without further ado, here's the next chapter :)

**SIX YEARS AGO.**

 

It was probably the worst day of Keith's life. Scratch that, it was the worst day of Keith's life.

Prior to this day, Keith's father was ill. A little over a year ago, he was diagnosed with stage 4 gastric adenocarcinoma and it was... hard. He was always in and out of the house, due to trips to the hospital. Keith's father had always been a huge part of Keith's life, being a huge influence since he was a firefighter. Keith would always hear stories about his days at work and the people he's saved.

 

Seeing him suddenly so weak was heartbreaking.

 

Keith had a exceptionally hard time adjusting to this absence. While his father was at the hospital, Keith was alone with his mother. And when she had to go to work, Keith would go to Lance's house. After his father got diagnosed, Lance was really Keith's way of trying to be happy. Lance was a literal sunshine and Keith always felt warm when they shared laughs together.

A few days after Lance had left for Cuba, Keith's mother had gotten a phone call.

 

From the hospital.

 

Keith woke up because he heard sobs coming from the kitchen. Curious, he peered the door open to see his mother clasping her face with one hand and holding a phone on the other. Keith could see her breathe unevenly and her body shaking. She put the phone down, setting it down onto the table, and buried her face with her hands, crying even more.

Keith opened the door and walked over to the kitchen table. "Mom? What's wrong?"  
Her face raised up and she turned to Keith. She pulled him into a deep hug, patting his hair in the process. "Keith... there's something I need to tell you. I need you to be strong, okay?"

  
His eyebrows furrowed, not assembling the situation, "Okay...? What is it?"  
There was a moment of silence and all you could hear was the shakiness of his mother's breath.  
With a quivered voice, she said. "Your father passed away this morning."

 

And just like that, it seemed as if the world suddenly turned gray.

 

* * *

 

A funeral wake was immediately assembled. The chapel was beautiful, there were flowers everywhere varying from different colors. In the middle of the area was a white coffin, a spotlight reflecting on it, showing a pearl finish. As Keith walked towards the coffin with his mother, he got closer and closer to his father.

It was painful to see him. His mother was next to him, crying, and all Keith could do was stare. He didn't know _how_ to react - he was filled with so many emotions. Sadness, sorrow, anger. There was a service for people to say their eulogies. Keith found himself staring at the ground the whole time.

It was hard.

Two days had passed, and now they were going to bury the coffin. In a few hours, the coffin would be transported onto a hearse. Everyone was out of the service area, except Keith. It was just him and his dad, no one else.

  
This was the last time he could ever say anything to him.

  
"Hey dad," he managed to croak out, "it's me, your son Keith. I guess this is it. This is the last time I'll ever see you before you get buried. I just want to say that... I'm going to miss you. You were, no are, my inspiration and will always be."  
Tears began to pour out, "I don't want to say goodbye, I really don't. I just... Things are going to be so different without you here. I don't know how mom and I will manage, but we'll be strong. For your sake. I'll never forget you... and I will always love you."

Keith's relatives and a few coworkers of his father were there to see the burial. Seeing the coffin go down into the earth was difficult, there were tears everywhere. Keith was quivering as he saw the pearl white coffin get lowered and only started to sob even harder when the device had come up with nothing else on it. A lot of people patted Keith's back, a lot of people gave hugs to him.

The world was still gray.

 

* * *

 

It had been two weeks since and life was already hard. His mom was struggling financially and long story short, they had to move. They couldn't afford to pay bills because of the hospital and the funeral service, so his mom ultimately decided that they had to go and live someplace cheaper, someplace far away from his current home. Keith wanted to argue, mostly because he would be away from Lance, but due to the given circumstances, he didn't want to upset her at all.

They lived in an apartment and Keith was always lonely. His mom picked up a few jobs just to support Keith and herself. There were some endless nights of her drinking, but you couldn't really blame her.

That is, until she met him.

Keith's mother had met him a few months later, God knows where, but she seemed happier. His name? Kolivan.

 

* * *

 

**PRESENT DAY.**

 

Deep breaths in. Deep breaths out.

Lance was standing at the entrance of Balmera Cafe. He was literally minutes, maybe seconds, from meeting Keith formally after six years.

To be honest, Lance was feeling... a bit stressed from the whole situation. He was so stressed that he texted to the groupchat with Hunk and Pidge, asking what he should wear to an "occasion" like this. Honestly, the two of them gave no shits and just said that Lance was clearly overthinking.

 

Whatever. He just opted for a denim button-up shirt, black jeans, and converse.

 

Lance took another deep breath before he touched the handles of the door. Suddenly, he heard rushed footsteps coming his way.

He looked to his left to see a blur of red coming his way, realizing that it was Keith. "Keith, what the he-"

"No time to explain, let's go!" Keith took Lance's hands and bolted across the street. Lance yelped as Keith was literally dragging him

.

Keith led him and Lance to a park. They both took a seat at the water fountain, heavily panting. Lance looked at Keith to see that he was looking around, as if he was avoiding someone. He was wearing a red hoodie, black ripped jeans, and checkered Vans. Of course, he had sunglasses on.

"Keith, buddy, what the fuck was that all about?!"  
Keith looked at Lance, "I'm really sorry, I had to run away from Kolivan."  
Lance let out a small burst of laughter, "What's with you and running away? We could've rescheduled our little hangout, if you needed to."  
As he was pulling up his sunglasses, Keith sighed, "I'd feel really bad if you just came all the way down here for no reason."

 

There was a moment of silence and all you could hear was the sound of city traffic and the rippling of water. Lance rubbed his thumb across his ring, something he did when he was fidgeting.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions..." started Keith, and he seemed to be avoiding eye contact, which is understandable.  
Lance furrowed his eyebrows, "Yeah... yeah I do, actually. To start off, why did you leave? Not to mention, without telling me anything? You could've, I don't know, mailed or phoned me! I was left wondering for  _six years_ why you suddenly left."  
Lance saw Keith wince at the last comment, "Lance, I... I'm so sorry, that you had to go through all those years without me. To be honest, this is really hard for me to talk about... especially to you. But for your sake, I'll stop running away from my problems."

 

Keith sighed and looked at Lance. He could see how... small Keith looked right now, it kind of broke Lance's heart. He felt kind of bad for the words he threw at him. "Talk to me."

 

"That summer you left to Cuba... was a bad time for me. My dad has been struggling with health issues, which is why we barely hung out at my house. A week after you left, his gastric adenocarcinoma started to act up again and he got admitted to the hospital. It got really bad and long story short, he passed away."

Keith's voice started to crack up, but he continued. "Anyway, my dad was what the one who financially supported our family, he was the only one working and my mom was just a housewife. We just didn't have enough money to pay the bills for the house we used to live in, so we moved to an apartment that my mom could afford."

"My mom picked up a few jobs just to support the two of us and I was usually alone in the apartment, but I couldn't blame my mom. Anyway, a few months later she met someone new. Kolivan."

  
Lance gaped, "No way. The Kolivan you're always running away from? Your agent? You.. you're joking, right?"  
"Yeah? It's kind of crazy, really. I mean, I hate him and whatever, but it was so nice to see my mom happy again. The months after my dad passed, it pained me seeing her like that. I really do try to be friendly towards Kolivan, truly I do, but our personalities just... _clash_."

 

"So... how did this modeling thing even happened?"  
"Honestly? It just sort of did. One of Kolivan's agencies needed someone to model out the adolescent clothing line for their brand and my mom asked if I wanted to do it. Initially, I didn't want to but a little money for my mom to have couldn't hurt at all. After that, I got spiraled into the modeling world after Kolivan saw quote ' _my potential'_. It's kind of a ridiculous story, but I really only do modeling to support my mother."

 

Lance found himself smiling at that last line. "That's really thoughtful, Keith. And now look at you! The new face of Mamora Agency."  
Keith laughed, "Yeah, that sounds so weird to say. But Lance, I just wanted to know if we were cool. It's been years and I don't know how I could ever make it up to you."

Patting Keith by the shoulder, Lance said, "Hey man, don't sweat it. I'm just glad we found each other again."  
This resulted in both of them to smile, from ear to ear.

  
And then, Keith leaned in for a hug. This suprised Lance, mostly because Keith was never really a touchy feely person as a kid, but he hugged back regardless. They both let go after a few seconds and Keith stared at the water before reaching into his pockets.

 

Lance was curious as to what Keith was doing, "What are you doing?" Keith pulled out two coins from his wallet and gave one to Lance.  
"We're sitting by a water fountain, we might as well make a wish or something."  
Lance blinked and then let out a snort, "Okay sure, let's do this thing."

 

A few moments passed before either of them tossed the coin into the water fountain. It made a small "plop" noise, contrasing from the soft rippling from earlier. "So what did you wish for?" said Lance.  
Keith scoffed, "Excuse me? Do you _not_ know the rules of wishing? I can't tell you or else it won't come true." Lance put his hands up in defense, "Woah, okay, sorry to insult the wishing cop."

 

The two of them laughed and it felt as if they were still kids again. It reminded Lance of all the times they would sit outside the front yard of his house and just watch the cars pass through the neighborhoods as they talked about stuff. It was just the two of them again and it was nice.  
Keith looked at Lance, "So, do you want to get coffee or something?"  
Lance smiled, "Sure, why not?"

 

* * *

 

They had a lot to catch up. The two of them exchanged stories from the time they were apart. Keith would talk about his modeling experiences and Lance would talk about school and his friends.

Taking a sip out of his drink, Lance asked, "So Keith, why did you like all of my photos on Instagram?" Keith blinked at that comment, "Is that weird?"  
Lance snorted, "Is that weird? Of course it is! All of your fans are bombarding me with comments! You just don't do that..."  
Keith flushed, "O-Oh, I had no idea. If it's hurting you that much, I could just unlike..." Lance flailed his arms around, "NOPE! It's too late, I'm already an internet sensation because of you."

 

_CLICK_

 

The two of them were interrupted by the sound of a camera flash. They looked out the window of the cafe to see a hoard of paparazzi's pressed against the glass, taking pictures of Lance and Keith.

Keith's face paled, "Oh no, they found me."  
"They found you? _What does this exactly mean?!_ "  
Suddenly, Lance had received a text message. Looking down at his phone, he saw that he had received a text from Hunk.

 **Hunk**  
dude wtf is this??  
**Hunk**  
Link: Pop News on Twitter (twitter.com)

Confused, he clicked on the link, which directed him to the app.  
Lance's eyes widened as he read the tweet.

 **Pop News** @popnews · 15m  
This just in! Keith Kogane was spotted with a mystery boy at the park!  
_[Picture of Lance and Keith sitting on the base of the water fountain]_

"Oh no." Lance muttered.  
"What? What is it?"  
Without saying anything, Lance shoved the phone towards Keith, and his face fell.

"Oh no." Keith repeated.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> title: soldier - valley (tbh im like making up the titles LOL!)
> 
> my aunt passed away a few years ago from adenocarcinoma and her anniversary is coming up, so i kind of just poured all of my feelings into keith. sorry, lol...
> 
> anyways, thank you guys so much for reading my fanfic! i apologize for not updating as frequently! i've been procrastinating D:
> 
> it's really wild since i'm just winging everything, but i have an idea as to how things may potentially end up. 
> 
> until then, see you guys next time! <3


	5. topic of the town

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS I AM SO SORRY!!!! I TOTALLY DID NOT PROCRASTINATE AND PUSHED ASIDE THIS FIC AJEADKAEGJKJF
> 
> but to be real, thank you for being patient! i didnt realize that it's been a month since i last updated D: and i wanted to update b4 the season dropped!!
> 
> and as always...i bullshitted my way writing this chapter so... hope you all like it!!!

Needless to say, the both of them immediately bolted out of the café. 

 

The paparazzi was surrounding them, urging Keith with questions, mainly about why he was with Lance. With the amount of flashes being  _shoved_ in front of their faces, it was hard to see. Their visions were practically screens of white. Eventually, they did manage to lose the crowd after hiding in a corner. While Keith and Lance were catching their breaths, they were watching the paparazzi running past them.

 

After the coast was clear, Keith quickly took Lance's hand and he gave a yelp as Keith took off sprinting. 

"Keith, what are you doing?!" hissed Lance.

Keith turned his face to Lance and gave a smirk, "Just trust me."

 

Lance gaped at Keith with wide eyes. He quickly closed his mouth and looked away, feeling a warmth creeping up to his cheeks. If you asked if he was blushing, he'd deny it ever happening. 

"Okay."

 

They came to a stop and were standing in front of a red Ducati that was parked at the curb near the park. Keith let go of Lance's hand, which felt cold seconds later, and reached to the insides of his pockets to get out a key.

"Holy shit... this is yours?" said Lance, clearly in awe.

Keith smiled as he hopped onto his bike. "Yup. Red was one of the first things I bought after I received my first big paycheck. My mom didn't even let me ride her until a year ago."

Lance snorted and crossed his arms, "Of course you'd name your bike something like  _Red."_

"Hey! Don't hurt Red's feelings like that," Keith gave a small pat to his Ducati, "he didn't mean it. You're beautiful just the way you are."

 

At this point, Lance was full on laughing to the point where there were literal tears coming out. The fact that Keith was  _talking to his bike_ seemed so humorous to him. Keith had given him a huff and a glare, but you could tell that he was amused. 

Suddenly, the two of them heard loud footsteps and turned their heads towards the noise.

 

 _Surprise!_ The paparazzi found them.

 

"Where the fuck do they even come from?" mumbled Keith before he pulled Lance onto his Ducati, shoving his helmet to him. "Here, hurry up and put this on. We need to go like... right now if we want to avoid these shitheads."

With no hesitation, Lance put on the helmet and made sure it was secure. "Don't you need to wear one?"

"I didn't think that we'd be in this situation, so I didn't bring an extra helmet. Besides, my place isn't that far from here, I'll take the risk."

" _We're going to your place?_ Wait w-"

"You need to hold on tight, okay? Or else you'll fall and, well, that'd be a shame."

 

Lance wrapped his arms around Keith's hips. Keith smelled like vanilla and it was pleasant. Keith was wearing finger-less leather gloves, but the ring was still exposed. The red jewel that sat on the ring glistened under the sunlight, and it look beautiful considering that it was eight years old and cheap.

To be honest, Lance was still hung up on the fact that the two of them still wore the ring, despite how long it's been since they've seen each other. If it weren't for Keith wearing the ring, would they even be here right now?

 

Keith revved his bike and just like that, Keith took off and Lance immediately felt the rush of wind going against his boy. His boy was pressed against the back of Keith and he found himself holding his grip tighter around Keith's waist. This was the first time he'd ever ridden on a bike and it was  _fucking awesome._

Within a minute or so, Lance eased himself and let out a laugh as the two of them were running into the city. 

 

It was nice.

 

* * *

 

"Okay, promise me you'll drive me around on your bike again because  _that_ was amazing."

 

The two of them made it to Keith's apartment after a few minutes of driving around the city. Lance held out his pinky and Keith rolled his eyes before smiling and entangling it with his, "Promise."

 

Keith then took out his apartment key and unlocked the front door, gesturing Lance to come inside. His apartment was so simple, yet so elegant. Everything was monochromatic and the view from his place was breathtaking. Lance hadn't really taken in the view Seattle had to offer from stories above. He could get used to waking up every morning to see it.

 

"Sorry we went from the park to the café to my place. It's been a while since we've actually hung out and I really want to make up for lost time."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I enjoy hanging out with you, it's cool."

 

Keith closed the door and smiled at Lance. Honestly, this day has been absolutely hectic, but hey, at least he was able to hang out with Lance. Keith, for the most part, was glad that Lance somewhat... forgave him after all those years. Maybe today could make up for those eight years of no communication... or at least some of it. Maybe.

 

Taking a seat on the couch, he patted the seat next to him, gesturing Lance to sit by him, which he did. They sat in a few seconds of silence before one of them broke it. 

"So..." started Lance.

Keith raised an eyebrow, "So...?"

Lance looked around the room, humming. "So, what's it like to be famous? Surely you're enjoying the attention you're getting, right? I mean, you have _ladies fawning_ over you."

 

  
Keith mentally cringed in his head. Right, Lance didn't know. After all, he couldn't blame him. He suddenly interested in picking at the rips of his black jeans. 

"It's kind of exhausting, you know? I just wanted to have a normal life, but clearly destiny didn't want that or something," Keith let out a sigh, "Don't get me wrong, it's cool and everything... just not what I would've expected my life to be. And honestly? I don't really care if there are girls admiring me or whatever. Girls aren't exactly my forte, if you get my drift."

 

Oh, so Keith was gay. And for some odd reason, there was a bloom of hope growing in Lance's stomach. 

"Cool, cool, cool. I can see how life can be tiring for you."

"Yup." popped Keith.

 

They quickly moved to a different topic, basically continuing what they were doing at the café a few minutes ago. Just then, there was a doorbell followed by a knock. Keith gave Lance an apologetic look before he got up to answer the door. He turned the handle and came face to face with none other than Kolivan.

 

"Kolivan," started Keith with a scowl on his face, "what brings you here?"

Kolivan grunted and glared at Keith, "We need to talk. More specifically, about you running away. News had already spread about you and that boy at the café . Keith, what were you thinking?"

Keith crossed his arms and pursed his lips, "I didn't think the paparazzi would _actually_ find me. Besides, it's not like the media is hurting me, right?"

 

"Still, you need to think about the consequences! Think about the damage, _for once!_ "

"Why can't I just live my life? Don't you know how _tiresome_ it is to be all _cooped_ up at a studio? Let me breathe, _for once._ "

 

Keith and Kolivan were practically having a stare down and Lance felt very very uncomfortable to be witnessing this. He felt as if he was interrupting by listening. Suddenly, Kolivan had made eye contact with Lance, which struck a chord within him.

Oh god, what the fuck is he going to do now that Kolivan knows that Lance, " _the boy at the café_ ", is here at Keith's apartment? It's not too late to leave, is it?

 

Keith, noticing that Kolivan had broken eye contact with him turned to see that he was staring at Lance. Keith quickly turned back and scratched his head, "Okay... this kind of looks bad, but let me expl-"

 

"Why is  _he_ here?" 

 

Letting out a sigh, Keith muttered,"We were... sort of... running away from the paparazzi." 

Kolivan face-palmed, "Oh my god, what is with you and running away? You know what? Forget it. Since _café boy_ is here, why don't we just talk about what we're going to do with this situation?"

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> title: rumors - jake miller
> 
> okay i swear things are getting somewhere!!! also school starts on monday for me, which fucking sucks, so expect more school shenanigans next chapter -- AND IT WILL BE LONGER THAN THIS HOT MESS!!!!
> 
> Thanks for sticking with me everyone! I want to finish this fic before the year ends (hopefully), so I hope you all stay until the very end!!! (even if i'm bullshitting my way djiejfijaejda)
> 
> until next time, see y'all and ENJOY WATCHING SEASON 7!!!!!


	6. a rush at the beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you guys like this chapter!! i've been extremely busy with school and i had to do hours and hours of homework every night :(( i'll try my best to whip up chapters for you guys!
> 
> without further ado, hope you enjoy this chapter! :)

Why, oh why, did fate let Lance meet Keith again?

 

Going to school was a  _nightmare,_ a living hell, almost. If Lance wasn't popular before the news about Keith and him spread, he's  _definitely_ more popular now. He couldn't even make it to the front doors of the school without having dozens of people ask about Keith. Having attention is cool, but it wasn't for the right reasons.

As soon as Lance made it through the front doors, he literally sprinted across the quad to go to his friend's hangout spot at the round school tables outside. Hunk and Pidge were already sitting there, talking about God knows what. Lance quickly sat down and buried his face into his hands, letting out a loud groan.

Pidge snorted, "Good morning to you too. How's being Mr. Popular?" Lance let out a grunt in reply, followed by muffled sounds, "It's terrible! I thought it'd be a dream come true to have everyone in the school know my name, like being Troy in High School Musical, but  _NOOOO_ all they ask about is Keith Keith _KEITH!_ "

Pidge and Hunk looked at Lance with sympathetic looks. Hunk nudged Lance with his elbow, prompting him to sit up. "Well... do you want to talk about it? What's going on with you and Keith anyway?"

 

There were A LOT of things going on. 

 

_**2 DAYS AGO... SATURDAY** _

 

Keith, Lance, and Kolivan were sitting down in Keith's living room in complete silence. No one wanted to say anything about what they should do about the current situation. Lance  _definitely_ did not want to say anything, in fear of Kolivan. Keith broke the silence with a whistle. 

"So... what are we going to do? I don't suppose  _you_ have any ideas."

Kolivan cleared his throat, "Actually, there might be something that  _could_ work, no guarantees though. It involves the two of you having to play your parts."

Keith and Lance both raised an eyebrow at that. He continued, "Since the the rumors about you and cafe boy are gong viral, why not take advantage of it? This could be good for your publicity and can even draw in more modeling companies to work with you, Keith."

 

Keith scoffed, "Take advantage...? What are you even saying, Kolivan?" 

"What I'm trying to say is that you and Lance  _should pretend that you guys are together._ You don't have to confirm the rumors, just be around each other and that will make the press go crazy and you'll be all over the social media platforms."

Keith stood up from his seat and glared at Kolivan, "The only person here that is crazy is you, Kolivan! I can't use Lance like  _that._ Why can't I just  _deny_ the rumors? That seems to be an easier option than whatever you're trying to pull."

 

"Keith listen, I'm just trying to do what's best for your career. Think about yourself, and most importantly,  _your mother."_

 

Lance felt like he was interrupting by sitting there in silence. He saw Keith wince at that last sentence and honestly? He couldn't help but feel bad about this whole situation. It  _was_ Lance's fault that Keith was in this mess after all.

"Umm... I'd be okay with it."

Keith and Kolivan looked at Lance, with Keith staring at him in disbelief.

"... _What."_

"I mean, it really is my fault you're in this mess in the first place. It's not like we're actually together, right? I don't see a problem with it."

 

Keith was staring at Lance with wide eyes while Kolivan's face relaxed. "Glad to hear you're on board. Keith, what do you say?"

He blinked before speaking, "I... Can I talk to you Lance,  _in the kitchen please?"_

Lance shrugged and and Keith took his wrist and led him to the kitchen.

 

"Lance, are you really sure about this? You don't have to do it, you know. I can just tell everyone that we're just friends, nothing more." Lance gave Keith a small smile. "Hey, 's not really a big deal. I want to do it for you."

Lance could see that Keith was still unsure and was deep in thought as he pursed his lips. Lance poked at Keith's nose, which caused him to break out of his trance. "No ifs, ands, or buts! I'm doing it! Just pay for my college tuition when you're crazy rich and refer to my as the hottest significant other you ever had."

Keith snorted at that comment, much to Lance's relief. "Okay, whatever Lance." He gave out a sigh before abruptly embracing Lance.

 

"Thank you."

"Anytime."

 

* * *

 

 

_**PRESENT DAY** _

 

"So wait... you agreed to  _fake date Keith?"_ said Pidge.

Lance gave out a scoff and a blush, "Wha-! No, we're not fake dating,  _Pidge._ I just agreed to pretend that we were together."

Pidge inhaled deeply before laying their fingers on their temples, " _Boy..._ you do realize that pretending that you and Keith are together is the same thing as you and Keith dating,  _right?"_

 

"It's true then? You're dating Keith Kogane?!"  
Lance mentally prepared himself before he turned around. There were a group of girls, none of which he knew the names of, waiting anxiously for his response. "Uh... you could say that."  
They all immediately squealed. "Oh my god, we knew it! You guys were soooo cute in that picture! Tell us, what is Keith like? What's his favorite type of coffee? We need to know!"

Lance blinked. How the fuck is he supposed to respond to these Keith fangirls? He didn't even know there was a Keith fan club, or whatever this is, at school. He turned his back, silently pleading for his friends to help, but to no avail. Pidge was snickering whereas Hunk suddenly became invested into his Government textbook... that was upside down. 

 

He made a mental note to be flip them off after this conversation.

 

 

 

* * *

 

Throughout the day, Lance has been getting so many messages from strangers, mostly asking about his relationship with Keith. It was really getting out of hand and Lance should have known this would be happening the minute he agreed to Kolivan's idea. He just wanted to go home and get away from everyone asking about it at school. He just wanted some peace and quiet. 

At least it was lunch. Just one more period to go, then he could go to home sweet home.

 

Or so he thought.

 

As Lance was talking to Hunk and Pidge about his niece and nephew, he received a text from Keith. They had exchanged numbers that Saturday, because it was  _kind of_ the customary thing to do when you reunite with an old friend you haven't seen in years. Oh, and if you're fake dating them too.

 

 

> **Keith**
> 
> hey, are you busy after school?
> 
> **Keith**
> 
> i want to take you somewhere
> 
> **Lance**
> 
> don't u have to idk
> 
> **Lance**
> 
> have a photo shoot and model or smthg?
> 
> **Keith**
> 
> dont even talk about modeling rn
> 
> **Keith**
> 
> i JUST got out of one and the photographer was a piece of SHIT!!
> 
> **Lance**
> 
> yikes!!! i can't even imagine being a model
> 
> **Keith**
> 
> i mean you have the looks so you totally could
> 
> **Keith**
> 
> but anyway, you never answered me. are you down?
> 
>  
> 
> **Lance**
> 
> yeah yeah, anything for u babe!!!
> 
> **Keith**
> 
> ...babe?
> 
> **Lance**
> 
> we're together now! we gotta play the part :P
> 
> **Keith**
> 
> ANYWAYS! i'll pick you up after school
> 
>  

"Babe? Pet names already?"

Lance didn't notice Pidge eavesdropping his phone and frantically turn it off. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Pidge and Hunk looked at each other with shiteating grins and shrugged.

 

Lance hated those grins.

 

* * *

 

 

"You have got to be kidding me."

 

Honestly? Lance thought Keith would call an Uber or something, but he really should've expected this.

 

The bell rang and Lance said his goodbyes to his friends as he made his way to the front door. There was a crowd of people near the parking lot, and  _of fucking course,_ they were crowding around Keith.

Keith on his stupid Ducati with his stupid mullet.

Lance found himself pondering at Keith's hair, he never really noticed that it was a mullet before today, but that's not what matters right now.

He was wearing a black hoodie with his typical black ripped jeans and was scrolling through his phone mindlessly.

 

Lance cowered over to Keith and hissed through his clenched teeth. "Keith, what are you doing?"

Keith looked up from his phone and gave Lance a grin along with a wave. "Oh,  _hey Lance!_ Don't mind me... just trying to take my  _boyfriend_ out, no big deal or anything."

 

Lance dropped his jaw and the crowd from before grew even bigger. His eyes gazed around and almost everyone had their phones out. It's like Keith was trying to get word that he and Lance were "together". Lance didn't even sign up for that, Kolivan said that they didn't have to confirm the rumors of them dating, but look at where they are now.

 

Well, he might as well play his part.

 

Taking a deep breath and accepting the aftermath of his actions, he gave Keith a smile and walked over to him. Lance wrapped his arms around Keith's neck and pecked him on the cheek before embracing the other.

"Keith, babe! I'm so happy to see you, I missed you!"

Okay, that part was true, he did miss Keith. Maybe those repressed feelings of Keith leaving him were finally taking a toll on him... or something.

Lance let go and the two of them looked at each other for a few seconds before Lance hopped onto the Ducati.

 

With that stunt they pulled, perhaps it'll spark buzz.

 

* * *

 

 

**Pidge**

bitch wtf did you just do

**Fucking Kyle**

Your datin Kogane?

**Hunk**

good luck with the media! :o)

 

  
**Pop News** @popnews ∙ 12m  
CONFIRMED: Keith Kogane and mystery boy are OFFICIAL!  
_[Picture of Lance pecking Keith on the cheek]_

  
**deryl**  @derylmars ∙ 7m  
okay why is NO ONE talking about how they BOTH HAVE SIMILAR RINGS???

 **I LOVE KEITH**  @amyopal ∙ 2m  
SOMEONE TELL ME WHO THIS MYSTERY GUY IS

 **mar** @wlwkogane ∙ 1m  
@amyopal SJAKDAEJDK IT'S THE SAME GUY THAT KEITH FOLLOWED AND LIKED ALL OF HIS PHOTOS!!! WHAT THE FUCK!!!!

 

* * *

 

 

"Hey Keith, what did we just create?"

 

After riding on Keith's Ducati for a few minutes, they finally arrived at Keith's mysterious destination. 

Lance was scrolling through his Twitter timeline and all he could see were pictures of him and Keith together. It kind of made Lance feel embarrassed and he still can't believe he kissed Keith. It was only on the cheek, but still.

Keith gave a shrug, "We gave the people a big fat lie, but they don't need to know that," he took Lance's hand, "come on, let's get inside."

 

As Keith was dragging Lance, he looked up at the building to see where they were at and gasped. It was the Arus Aquarium. Back then, Lance and Keith would go to the aquarium, one that was different from Arus, with their families as a reward for their good grades in school. But ever since Keith left, Lance never went again. It's been years.

Once they were inside and Keith insisting on paying for Lance's ticket, Lance was immediately met with beautiful shades of blue.

There were really no words to describe what he was seeing. The aquarium tanks were wrapped around at the walls and on the ceiling; there were aquatic creatures everywhere. The rooms were dark and all that was lit was the glowing of the waters. It truly was a sight.

 

The two of them walked around, most of the time they were pointing at sea creatures ("They look just like you - ugly." "Lance, it's not nice to call fish ugly." "...") and taking tons of pictures. Lance had a good time and was glad Keith took him at Arus.

They reached to a room and it was just the two of them, surprisingly since the aquarium was packed with people. They sat down right next to each other on the floor, legs crossed, and they looked up to watch the sea creatures. 

 

Keith looked over at Lance and saw that he was mesmerized and in awe. He gave a smile, "Do you like this place? This aquarium is owned by one of my friends and I never had the chance to go see it with someone."

Lance looked at Keith and gave a grin, "Well, I'm glad I was the lucky one that gets to see it with the  _Keith Kogane_." He gave a sigh and looked back at the tank and watched the sting rays pass by. "You know, it's been years since I last been to an aquarium. The last time was-"

Keith finished his sentence, "-the spring of 4th grade? Me too. I guess I just couldn't bring myself to go back to an aquarium, knowing that I wouldn't be with you. All the memories we shared back then... I really miss it. I guess I couldn't forgive myself for leaving without saying goodbye."

Lance furrowed his eyebrows and shifted his body towards Keith, resting his hand on Keith's right shoulder, prompting him to stare at Lance. 

 

Since when did Keith have stars dancing in his eyes?

 

"Keith, it's not your fault. I know I was left with a lot of questions after you left, but that was in the past. I'm so damn happy that we crossed paths again and here we are, together. Just like old times, we're at an aquarium. So... don't blame yourself, okay? I forgive you." 

Keith pursed his lips before he raised his right hand and touched Lance's hand that was on his shoulder. "Thanks Lance. I'm glad we're together too."

 

For some reason, Lance's heart was hammering in his chest, but he couldn't explain why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> title: the lourve - lourde
> 
> SURPRISE!!!! i love fake-dating au's smh someone stop me from throwing things into this fic LOL
> 
> also NEXT CHAPTER will be in keith's POV!!!!!
> 
> AND I SWEAR WE WILL MEET SHIRO AND ALLURA!!!! IDK WHEN BUT WE WILL I PROMISE
> 
> as always, i'll see you guys next time <3


	7. fools rush in

Keith and Lance had spent another hour or so at the aquarium. They spent a lot of time at the shark exhibit, because it was Lance's favorite animal. The two of them read about hammerhead, mako, and the extinct megalodon shark. It was quite interesting, Keith had to say. He enjoyed seeing Lance getting jumpy around the sharks that would pop up. They took a few selfies and pictures here and there, for memory purposes.

Because the aquarium was one hell of a crowded place, Keith and Lance held hands. Obviously so one wouldn’t get lost from the other. It’s not like they have each other’s phone numbers or anything. Besides, if people recognized them, it would help them play their part.

People actually did recognize them and asked for selfies, mainly of Keith though. Lance had to awkwardly stand around as fan were taking pictures with Keith. However, there were instances where Lance was in the photo. Those instances happened only three times out of the fifteen times he was stopped.

  
After mutually agreeing that it was getting a bit late, and the fact that it was a school night, meaning Lance had a shit ton of homework to do, they left the Arus Aquarium. The two hopped onto Keith's bike and headed to Lance's.  
  
It was weird driving to Lance's house. It's been years since Keith has seen it, or even gone near it. Even so, he knew the road back home. The ride was quiet, as Lance was clutching around Keith's waist. All you could hear were the sounds of the city.  
  
Keith slowed down his bike as he turned to Lance's street. He took a small glimpse of his old childhood home as they passed by and couldn't help but feel a bit of guilt.

 

* * *

   
"Thank you for today, Keith. It was really nice that we got to hang out at the aquarium again, just like when we were kids." said Lance as got up from the bike. He removed his helmet and gave it back to Keith.  
  
"It was nothing really. Just expect us to do more stuff like this because of Kolivan." Keith was getting ready to get back on the road before Lance put a hand on his shoulder, prompting Keith to turn back.  
  
"Wait! Do you... Do you want to come inside?"  
  
Keith blinked, which resulted in Lance stammering even more.

  
  
"I-I mean if you want! It's just... it's been so long since everyone has seen you! I'm sure my mom would be thrilled to see you again." Lance was fiddling with his fingers, waiting for Keith's answer. Keith opened his mouth, but closed it.  
  
There was a moment of awkwardness and Lance began to ramble to fill in the silence, "That's okay if you can't. You're a busy guy after all and you definitely don't have time. Anyway -- thanks again fo-"  
  
"No No! I... I'd like that, actually." interrupted Keith. Lance looked at him and slightly flushed. "Oh, cool cool." He gestured his head towards his front door with a smile,"Let's go inside, hm?"

  
  
Lance turned around and began walking towards the door, keys in his hand. Keith followed once he was done parking his bike and locking it. The door opened and Keith was immediately met with the smell of Lance's house. It smelled the same, even after all these years. It felt so nostalgic and homey.  
  
"Mama! I'm _hoooooome_!" yelled Lance as he closed the door once Keith went inside. He looked around the house. Not only did it smell the same, but it literally looked the same as well. Picture frames of the McClain's were plastered over the walls and Keith even noticed a picture with him in it.

  
Suddenly, there was a thump of footsteps from the kitchen and it was getting closer and closer towards the two. " _LANCE SANCHEZ MCCLAIN_ , where were you? You had the _AUDACITY_ to go somewhere after school and _NOT TELL ME?!_ "  
  
Keith suddenly felt a wave of deja vu when Lance's mother showed up. Rosa McClain was a short woman with tan skin, brown curly hair, and brown eyes. Lance definitely inherited her genetics, excluding his blue eyes. Rosa was a sweet woman, no doubt, but her wrath was something you did not want to experience.

  
  
Just then, Rosa and Keith locked eyes with each other, which made Keith gulp. Did she remember Keith? Maybe Keith was too old for her to recognize him anymore, he had a mullet for crying out loud (as much as he would love to deny it, it was the truth).  
  
Rosa gasped and clasped her hands over her mouth. "Is that you Keith? It's been so long! How have you been doing?" She ran over to Keith and gave him the biggest hug ever. Keith couldn't help but smile.  
  
"Hello Mrs. McClain, I'm doing alright. It's been quite a while, huh?" Rosa scoffed, "Keith, you know you can call me Rosa, right? And Lance! Why didn't you tell me that Keith was back? I would've made him a feast! This poor boy is probably starving!"  
  
Lance's jaw dropped, "Mama! I would've said something if you...!" he sighed and shook his head, "Anyway, I was hanging out with Keith at the Arus. It slipped my mind that I should've told you something."

  
Rosa smiled and patted Lance's arm with care, "All is forgiven. After all, I'm happy to hear that you two were able to go to the aquarium again."

  
  
"Oh great, he's back?" Keith turned towards the staircase and saw Veronica leaning up against the wall with her arms crossed.  
  
Her hair was shorter than the last time he saw her and she resembled her mother, much all the rest of the McClain children.  
  
Keith grinned as he rolled his eyes. "Hey Veronica, it's nice to see you too." Veronica chuckled, "Yeah yeah. We're glad you're back, honestly. I mean, I was kind of shocked to hear that you and my little brother were dating, but --"  
  
Rosa gasped and looked at Keith, "You and Lance --? Oh my goodness! This is wonderful news!! And Keith, of course I give you my blessing! Just wait until you two get married and --!"  
  
Keith's face immediately flushed with red and he began coughing out of discomfort. Lance whined,"Maaaamaaa!" Rosa chuckled, “I’m just teasing you. Anyway, it was really wonderful seeing you again Keith. I hope I’ll see you around here more oftenly.”

 

With those words, Keith couldn’t help but feel a blooming of warmth in his chest. It’s been so long since he’s been in the McClain household and honestly? Keith is so, so happy to be here.

“Likewise.”

Veronica and Rosa went to their devices and it was just Keith and Lance.

 

“They were really happy to see you again, you know?” starts Lance, “Sorry you couldn’t see Luis or Rachel, or even my dad. I guess they’re not home.”

“Hey, it’s cool. I was glad to see them too. Maybe in the future, I’ll be able to see your whole family together again.” Keith took a look at his watch and sighed. “I really got to go. I have paperwork to do with Kolivan in a few.”

Lance’s face seemed to falter for a split second, “Oh… okay. I had a lot of fun today, you know? Next time, I’ll pick a place for the two of us! It’ll be _amazing_.”

 

_Anywhere is amazing, as long as I’m with you._

 

Keith frowned. Where did those words come from? He shook his head, ignoring it. “I wouldn’t doubt it. Just shoot me a text or a call and we’ll see if I can clear my schedule.”

 

Lance opened the front door for Keith and before he stepped out, Lance embraced him with a hug. “I’ll see you soon.” A few seconds, maybe a minute, passed before they let go of each other. Keith walked over to his parked bike and hopped on. He fastened his helmet and looked at Lance’s house.

Lance was pressed against the doorway, watching. Keith gave a little wave and he was suddenly out of his trance. Lance waved back and then closed the door. Keith continued to stare at the spot where Lance was, even when the door was gone. He sighed and revved his Ducati.

 

His body felt cold when he began riding down the streets, as if it was missing something. A feeling of longing, but he didn’t know what.

 

* * *

 

_[Selfie of Keith and Lance at the Arus Aquarium]_

Liked by **tailorlance, shirogone, and 135,898 others**

 **kkogane** **✓** fun times with this boi

_View all 771 comments_

**tailorlance** :D <3

 **shirogone** UMM U GOT SOME EXPLAININ TO DO WHEN I SEE YOU

 **kkogane** @shirogone y’all hear sumn…????

_1 HOUR AGO_

 

 **Pop News** @popnews ∙ 8m  
Keith and Lance are Seattle's cutest couple! Read more at  vol.tron/K1ckuwu  
_[Picture of Keith's latest Instagram picture]_

 **mar** @wlwkogane ∙ 7m  
ugh keith and lance's relationship makes me want to have a girlfriend to take on cute lil dates :((

 **I LOVE KEITH**  @amyopal ∙ 3m  
@wlwkogane LMAO SAME!!!! KEITH AND LANCE ARE TOO FUCKING CUTE IS2G IM GOING TO CRY IF I SEE ANOTHER PICTURE OF THEM

 

**Hunk**

_**trio of dumbasses** _

aw :’) you went on a date to the aquarium with your boooooooyfriend

**Pidge**

_**trio of dumbasses** _

ugh we totally should have followed them and gotten pics and sell them to the crazy fans

 

* * *

 

A few days passed since the Arus Aquarium and the two of them have been texting each other literally every single day. Whether it was casual conversation or something completely random, Keith liked talking to Lance. It was something Keith always looked forward to after long days of photoshoots or meetings.

 

 

 

 

> **Lance**
> 
> OKAY I FINALLY FIGURED IT OUT
> 
> **Keith**
> 
> what did you do this time?
> 
> **Lance**
> 
> lmao you wound me keith :((
> 
> **Lance**
> 
> BUT I FINALLY FIGURED OUT OUR NEXT DATE!!
> 
> **Keith**
> 
> a date, huh?
> 
> **Lance**
> 
> hmmm yeah?? i mean if you think about it….
> 
> **Lance**
> 
> we ARE dating each other, at least to the rest of the world
> 
> **Keith**
> 
> hmm i suppose.
> 
> **Keith**
> 
> so, care to tell me where you’re taking me?
> 
> **Lance**
> 
> that … is a secret.
> 
> **Lance**
> 
> YOU’LL FIND OUT WHEN THE TIME COMES!!!

 

Keith enjoyed texting Lance, despite how on edge Lance always made him.

 

* * *

 

Keith was sitting on the stools of Starbucks, sipping his green tea. He was wearing his signature black shades, a black hoodie, ripped jeans, and of course black converse.  He was waiting for someone; someone he’s been friends with ever since he got signed as a model.

The doors opened and Keith immediately perked up when he saw a familiar figure coming towards his way. He was tall and built. He had light skin, contrasted with a scar across the bridge of his nose, white dyed hair, and dark eyes.

 

“How’s my favorite Mamora Agency client?” he said, as he sat down in front of Keith.

“Shiro, I’m like the only client you ever use for your shoots.” scoffed Keith.

 

Shiro, or Takashi Shirogane, was a very good friend of Keith’s. They had met on one of the magazine photo shoots for teens’ fashion when Keith was 14 and Shiro was 17. The two of them were making fun of the clothes, because honestly? Most of them clashed horribly together.

Shiro used to be a model, but he hated it. Instead, he decided to pursue in photography; something he has always wanted to do. It took a few years, but Shiro now owns his own successful photography corporation. Keith in all honesty is very proud of him for pursuing his dream.

 

“Okay, but that automatically makes you the favorite client.” Keith rolled his eyes and tapped his fingers against the tabletop. He knows why Shiro wants to hang out with him, he knows what he wants to ask Keith. But… maybe Shiro will disregard it.

 

Shiro began whistling and looking around, “So… I heard you’re dating someone!”

Keith groaned, hiding his face under his hands, “I knew that was the only reason why you wanted to hang out with me out of nowhere.

Shiro laughed, “Oh come on! I would never pass up a chance to hang out with you. So… care to ‘spill the tea’, as the kids say it these days?”

“Okay one, never say that again. Two, what do you even want to know?” Keith crossed his arms and pursed his lips.

 

What was there to know about him and Lance’s relationship? They were “dating”, what’s there to ask?”

 

“What do I want to know? Boy, I want to know EVERYTHING! This came out of the blue, you can start by telling me how this all started.”

 

Keith sighed, “Lance was my childhood best friend. We were close and lived literally a few houses near each other before I had to move to a new place with my mom. We reunited a few days ago… and here we are.”

Shiro blinked, “Wait wait wait… you guys just met up with each other… and then began dating? Is Lance the guy with the same ring as you?” As if on cue, Keith began fiddling with his ring, “Uh… yes?”

 

He gave Keith a look, “You guys just met each other again, what if he’s a completely different person than a few years ago? Keith, you do know people grow up and change, right?”

Keith took a sip out of his drink. This was so complicated, not to mention embarrassing, to try and explain. He couldn’t just say ‘Oh by the way, Lance and I are just fake dating!’. Technically, he could, but he shouldn’t without telling Lance about it first.

 

“Shiro, trust me. Lance is a good person.”

 

Still unsatisfied, Shiro pursed his lips. “Well, will you tell me why you fell in love with him?”

 

 _Shit._ Him and Lance should really assess how they got together.

 

Keith blinked. What the _fuck_ was he supposed to say? He wasn’t in love with Lance. He gave Shiro’s question a bit of thought before answering.

 

“Lance… honestly is an amazing person. He puts himself before others and he cares a lot about his family, even when we were kids he was always like this. When we’re together, there are literally no words to explain how it feels. Lance and I make a really good team, I’d say. He has my back and I’ll always have his.”

 

Keith began to ramble, though he didn’t notice it.

 

“He makes me laugh a lot, which is something I haven’t really done in a while before I saw him again. I don’t know, is that weird? He just makes me feel happy and warm inside.”

He sighed and leaned against a propped arm, “His smile is another thing, I guess. Whenever he looked back and smiled at me at the aquarium, I _swear_ it felt like he was the only person in the room.”

 

There was a moment of silence before Keith shifted his eyes to Shiro’s. Shiro, surprisingly, wore a fond expression. “Keith… that was the sweetest thing that has ever come out of your mouth. I can’t believe you’re growing up!” Dramatically, Shiro pretended to wipe a tear.

 

Keith covered his face with his hands and muttered, “Hanging out with you was a big fucking mistake on my part.”

Shiro snorted, “In all seriousness, I can tell that you really love him. I’m sorry that I doubted your relationship with him, I was just worried. But from the way you described him, he seems like a good guy for you.”

 

Keith stared at Shiro and gave him a nod. He didn’t know what to say, honestly. This was all just a fake relationship. Just two friends. There was nothing more to it.

 

_Nothing._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> title: can't help falling in love 
> 
> **me the entire time i write a chapter:** uhhhhhhhhhhhhh fuck
> 
> aaaaa im sorry i haven't been updating as much... again school owns my fucking ass!!!  
> next chapter I SWEAR things will be progressing... like A SHIT TON!!!! i'm planning on making next chapter to around 4.5k words maybe??? don't quote on me guys, im a student suffering with her classes lol 
> 
> in the next chapter, i plan to have lance's date  
> okay honestly i am very happy to see all of your comments! it makes me so happy and makes me feel warm inside ~~(like lance does to keith adkadjadj)~~ i love you all so so much!
> 
> until next time! <3


	8. pent up momentum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am so so so sorry for not updating this fic for over three months!!!!! i've hit a writer's block and have constantly scrapped this chapter up because i didn't know how to progress, but i hope this chapter does you some justice...
> 
>  
> 
> without further ado, hope you guys enjoy the chapter :')

Was it normal to feel this nervous before a date Technically speaking, it IS only just a fake date... but why does Lance feel so clammy?

He shook his head and stared at his reflection in the mirror."Why am I so nervous? It's not the first time we're hanging out. It's just two guys... going on a pretend date, nothing to it."

Lance’s hair was a bit messy, but it looked okay considering that he was going for that “effortless look”. He wore a white tank top with an unbuttoned floral print collared shirt, matched with some shorts. It was quite fitting for their date.

Today Lance is going take Keith to his chosen date. He wanted to impress Keith, despite the fact that they have both lived in the area their entire lives. He wanted a place where they could both have fun and relax... and maybe hold hands.

Okay, maybe the last part was due to his own selfish reasons, but he liked how their hands fit together like two puzzle pieces.

It’s only been a week, more or less, since he found Keith again. It’s so unnerving how Lance acts around him, but the way it makes him feel? There are no words to even describe it.

 

_**BZZT** _

 

Lance yelled at the sound which disrupted his thoughts. He looked at the counter of his bathroom to see his phone light up with a text notification from Keith.

 

>   
>  **Keith**  
>  hey  
>  **Keith**  
>  it’s me.

Lance closed his eyes and let out a deep exhale. This boy...

 

> **Lance**  
>  well DUH i have your number saved
> 
> **Keith**  
>  oh... right  
>  **Keith**  
>  anyway, are you ready to take me to your “secret date”
> 
> **Lance**  
>  of course, are you ready to be AMAZED???
> 
> **Keith**  
>  we’ll see ;)

A winky face. Keith Kogane, titled an edgelord extraordinaire, using a winky face? It was such a little thing, but it made Lance feel so fuzzy inside. Someone should pinch Lance because who was he texting?

He took one last look in the mirror and shot double pistols and a wink to himself. Feeling satisfied, he left his room and went to go pick up his fake boyfriend.

 

* * *

 

Lance isn’t a terrible driver... but he is most definitely not the best; it’s why he carpools with Hunk majority of the time. He was driving his way to Keith’s house with his blue convertible, blasting Ariana Grande on his speakers.

He made it to Keith’s apartment building after a few minutes (there were a lot of mean glares from people honking at Lance for his music), and knocked on the door of his flat. Lance tapped his foot against the floor as he waited for his other to answer.

Not a minute passed and the door immediately opened. There stood Keith with his hair tied in a ponytail and sunglasses resting on top of his head. He wore a red button up, which didn’t quite go all the way up (Lance wasn’t complaining at all), black shorts, and... Gucci slides?

Lance snickered when he saw his slides, “Gucci slides, really Keith?”  
Keith shrugged, “They’re comfortable, okay? I got dressed to have a good time and I honestly feel so attacked right now.”  
“And I’m the dramatic one...” Lance said as he rolled his eyes in an amused matter. “Come on, let’s go.”

Keith closed and locked his door and they two went to Lance’s car. After buckling their seatbelts in, they hit the road. “So... where are you taking me, Lance?”

Lance hummed, “You’ll find out. I think you’ll really enjoy it. On another note... I hope you enjoy listening to Ariana Grande."  
Keith lightly slammed his forehead against the dashboard. "I'm going to regret going on this date."

 

* * *

 

Out of all the places Keith thought of, this definitely wasn’t in his list.

Lance laughed and presented the area in a flashy way, “Welcome to Pier 57!” It certainly was a busy place, there were people everywhere. Keith lived in Seattle for a long time, how come he has never heard of such place?

“Woah, I definitely wasn’t expecting this.” said Keith, gazing towards Lance... who seemed to be worried. “Oh, do you not like it? Great! I messed this whole date up, like the idiot I am.” Lance groaned into his hands. Keith panicked, “No no no Lance! I didn’t mean it like that! I meant that I didn’t think you would take me here for our date. There’s nothing bad about it!”

Keith took Lance’s hands away from his face while Lance looked up. “You’re not an idiot, okay? Come on, let’s go have fun.” They were close to each other, so close that Keith could count all the freckles dancing against Lance’s skin.

He flashed a smile at Lance in an attempt to reassure him. Lance sighed, giving a smile back. “Okay.”

 

Taking Lance’s hand, the two started to roam around the pier together.

 

They went to the waterfront carousel in Miner’s Landing. Keith wanted the darker color horse, but of course Lance beat him to it. So, he had to opt for the flying pig next to him.

“I feel so fucking goofy for riding on this with a bunch of five year old children when I’m 17.” said Lance as he buckled into his seat.  
Keith shrugged,” I mean, we’re just here to have fun like they are. And if anyone is going to say something about it, they can say it to my face.”  
“Keith... you can’t just fight people you don’t know.”  
Keith hummed.  
  
The ride started and Lance was literally having the thrill of his life, despite how slow the ride was. It was endearing in a way. Keith took the opportunity to snap a photo of Lance. Looking at the photo, he smiled because... because Lance just looked nice, okay?

Fine, he looked more than okay. For some fucking reason, the sun decided to bless Keith’s phone at the exact moment he took a picture of Lance. The photo literally made Lance look like an angel. It was really unfair.

 

It was unfair how Lance was pulling at Keith’s heartstrings.

 

“Say cheese Keith!” Unaware of what was going on, he look

ed at Lance to see that he was also taking a picture. Lance showed Keith the picture and laughed at how unprepared and concerned Keith looked in the photo.

“Delete that photo, it’s so ugly.”  
“No way! I’m keeping it, ‘s cute.”

Keith pretended not to hear the last sentence, but blushed anyway.

For the remaining of the time, they took a lot more photos of each other and then eventually took selfies with the two of them together.

They played carnival games and Lance actually won this massive hippo plush for Keith in a game of darts. For some reason, Lance had insane accuracy and aim. It was crazy and definitely shocked Keith. The two ate ice cream, which ended with both of them just smashing it into each other’s faces... for some reason, and just doing dumb dares at the pier.

As for the day in general, it was somewhat a bad idea to have a date in such a crowded area. The pier itself was amazing, but there were so... so many fans. Him and Lance would get stopped every couple of minutes when a fan would notice and would want pictures. Unfortunately, this resulted in huge crowds of people.

 

* * *

 

 **Pop News** @popnews ∙ 20m  
Keith Kogane and his lover boy spotted at Pier 57! How cute are they?  
_[Picture of Keith holding Lance’s hand and laughing]_

 **mar** @wlwkogane ∙ 3m  
YALL!!! I SAW FUXKING KLANCE AT THE PIER WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!!

 **mar** @wlwkogane ∙ 2m  
omfg they’re literally??? just smashing ice cream into each other... IS THIS WHAT TRUE LOVE IS

 **deryl** @derylmars ∙ 30s  
@wlwkogane UGH THAT IS SO CUTE THEYRE GOING TO BE THE DEATH OF ME

 

* * *

 

 

The sun was starting to set. Keith and Lance were holding hands, trying to figure out where they could end their date with.

“Let’s go on that.” said Lance.  
Keith looked to where Lance was pointing to: a Ferris wheel.

“It’s called the Seattle Great Wheel. I haven’t been on it in ages! Let’s go!” Before Keith had a chance to answer, Lance dragged him to the Ferris wheel. Within seconds, they were already seated and the ride was in motion. The two of them were looking out the glass window, looking down on the city of Seattle. The view was absolutely stunning.

 

Yes, _Lance_ was stunning.

 

The purple lights given by the Ferris wheel bounced against Lance and he looked so... pretty. They sat in front of each other, giving Keith the perfect sight of Lance.

God, what exactly is this feeling? Out of all the moments today, why is heart hammering so fast against his chest? Keith gulped, what the fuck is going on?

It's not.. It's not like he was actually falling for Lance, right? They were only fake dating, Keith reminded himself. Why would they ever actually date? Besides, there's no way Lance would ever reciprocate his feelings. If he ever had feelings for Lance, that is.

 

The Ferris wheel came to a halt. Now, it was just the two of them and them alone. Keith shook himself out of his trance when Lance looked his way. His blue eyes really complimented the purple lighting of the Ferris wheel. They were so vibrant and beautiful.

“Thank you for taking me here, Lance. This is probably the most fun I’ve had in a while.” started Keith. Lance gave a shy smile, “Anytime. I’m glad you enjoyed the date as much as I did.”

They stared at each other with dumb smiles for a few seconds before Lance looked away. “Do you think we can take a picture together? This lighting is way too good to pass up.”

“No kidding. The lighting looks good on you.”

Lance looked up at Keith and gave a sheepish grin before pulling up the camera app on his phone. “Okay, smile!”

 

They took quite a few photos, varying from a few serious ones to a lot of goofy ones. Just when Keith thought they were done, Lance surprised him. Lance placed a kiss against Keith’s cheek and snapped a photo. It was so unexpected, just like the time at Lance’s school, and Keith was sure his cheek was burning from the kiss planted by the other.

 _Two can play at that game_ , thought Keith.

Keith pulled out his phone when Lance was looking through his photos. He gave Lance a kiss on the cheek, taking quite a few photos which showed Lance’s surprise expression vividly.

“Oh, you want to play that game Kogane?”

The two of them went back and forth in kissing each other, resulting in a lot of terrible photos. They ended up pressed up against next to each other and then started to laugh at the photos that they took. "We look so ridiculous, but these will look so good on my Instagram." said Lance as he snorted to himself at one of the pictures of Keith where he accidentally kissed the glass.

Keith agreed. Not to mention, the media will go absolutely bananas over these pictures. Again, they didn't mean anything at all. Just two guys sitting in a ferris wheel compartment... kissing each other on the cheeks.

 

The ferris wheel began to move, causing Lance and Keith to be closer than ever. While Keith was pressed against the wall of the compartment, Lance was pressed against the chest of Keith. Boy, what is getting hot in here or was it just Lance? He looked up to make eye contact with Keith. His dark eyes blended into the purple atmosphere of the light, yet it was still mesmerizing.

The distance between the two of them seemed to get smaller and smaller, but then they were stopped by the sudden stop of the ferris wheel. Lance got up from Keith's chest and looked at the window. "Looks like the ride is over." said Lance, looking apologetically towards Keith.

"Yeah, looks like it."

Keith got out of the Ferris wheel compartment first and then held out his hand for Lance to take, which he did. Lance felt a longing feeling of regret, but he couldn't figure out what exactly was causing this. What he didn't know, was that Keith felt the exact same.

* * *

 

_  
[Selfie of Keith kissing Lance's cheek at the Ferris wheel]_

Liked by **kkogane** **, pidgeotto, and 1,344 others**

 **tailorlance**  xoxo

_View all 573 comments_

**pidgeotto** fucking whipped.

 **hunkgarret** did u force keith to do that LOL

 **kkogane ✓** mwah

_24 MINUTES AGO_

 

 

> **Pidge**
> 
> _**trio of dumbasses** _
> 
> dude... are you sure you and keith are fake dating lmfao???
> 
> **Hunk**
> 
> _**trio of dumbasses** _
> 
> we wont judge bro :( just admit you actually like keith
> 
> **Lance**
> 
> **_trio of dumbasses_ **
> 
> wtf???
> 
> **Lance**
> 
> **_trio of dumbasses_ **
> 
> there are no feelings here! :) 
> 
> **Pidge**
> 
> _**trio of dumbasses** _
> 
> BITCH..  

* * *

 

 

The drive back to Keith's apartment was silent, apart from the music that came buzzing from the radio. Keith was sound asleep throughout the ride and Lance was just humming to the tune of the songs playing. He thought back to what had happened today, most specifically what happened at the Ferris wheel. The distance between him and Keith wasn't just a figment of his imagination, was it? 

 

Was Keith going to kiss him? Maybe it was Lance who was going for the move.

He shook his head, what exactly is he thinking? 

 

They arrived at Keith's place and Lance poked at his arm to wake him up. "You're home. I'll walk you to your door." Keith let out an exhale before opening his eyes and stepped outside the car door. Keith fumbled with his door keys, due to him being half-awake, and finally managed to get the front door to open after Lance had helped him out.

Keith stepped inside and turned to face Lance. Even with tired eyes, he still looked like a model. "Thank you again for today, Lance," he yawned, "Have a safe night and drive safe." Keith leaned in towards Lance, for what Lance assumed to be a hug, but what he got made him extremely shocked. 

Keith lazily pressed his lips against Lance's lips, cupping his hands onto Lance's face. If your eyes weren't open, you wouldn't have felt the kiss at all. Lance didn't have a chance to react before Keith removed his hands away from his face. "G'night." he said once more and closed the door.

 

Lance was left staring in awe at the closed door, moving his fingers across his lips. On the other side, Keith was sitting against the door, face warm from embarrassment, wondering what the fuck he just did.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> title: lie for love - sabrina carpenter 
> 
> again, i really dont know what the FUCK i am doing LOL?? i feel like this chapter was rlly messy, but regardless hope u guys liked it D:
> 
> and again again, i am sorry i haven't been consistent with the updates for this fic :( i've been extremely busy with school, but i will finish this fic sometime in the next year.. i hope anyway 
> 
> i love reading your comments and i always feel so bad when i get kudos on something i havent worked on for over a month, so please forgive me! i do read each and every comment... and it keeps me going! 
> 
> hope you guys had a wonderful christmas! and have a happy new year! <3


	9. maybe i'm in love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sorry i didnt realize my last update was 3 MONTHS AGO AAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
> no matter what, i am going to finish this fic,,, even if it will take me 84 years odkdajfjed
> 
> i love u all and thank you for 400 kudos!! you have no idea how guilty i felt when i kept getting emails on people giving me kudos D:
> 
> without further ado, enjoy the fic <3

 

Lance couldn't sleep that night. He grabbed his phone that was on his bedside table and squinted at the bright screen that flickered against his face.

 

_3:30 A.M._

 

Lance groaned. This was literally the worst. He had school in just a few hours and he just can't get  _a wink of fucking sleep._ All because of the stupid thoughts that were swirling in his head. No matter how hard he tried, they just wouldn't leave. 

 

It was all because of stupid Keith.

 

It was  _only_ a kiss. How did it even end up with Lance staying up for an entire four hours?  _It was only a kiss,_ Lance kept telling himself. Besides, Keith was half-awake, there's no way it meant anything... no way at all.

_Maybe..._

No, there was just no logical explanation for it. Why did Keith kiss him? Sure, you couldn't really call it a kiss since it was just a brush between the two of their lips, but even for that fraction of a second, there was no denying the feeling that it left.

Lance put his fingers against his lips. He started to imagine what it would be like in a real kiss. Yeah, Lance has kissed people before, no doubt about it... but there was just  _something so different_ about Keith's. 

Lance blinked. Why was he even thinking about this? He shut his eyes real hard, denying that he ever thought about Keith that night.

* * *

 

"Wow, don't you look  _amazing_ today." 

Lance was walking towards the table Pidge and Hunk were sitting at the following morning. He went on a coffee run before going to school, asking the barista to load his coffee with all the shots of espresso available. They said no.

Lance sat down with the two of them, glaring at Pidge who made the unnecessary comment about his appearance. An hour of sleep is never good for the soul. He took a sip out of his cup and slammed it against the table. "Shut up, I'm so fucking tired... is it too late to ditch school? I need my damn beauty sleep."

Hunk and Pidge looked at each other while Lance took another sip out of his cup. "You don't look good," started Hunk, "What the heck happened?" Lance sighed and traced the brim of his cup with his fingers. "Fucking Keith."

 

...

 

Pidge snorted, "Geez, you guys are already at that stage? TMI." Lance shot a confused look at them before realizing what they were implying, " _Nonono_ that's NOT what I meant!" Pidge laughed, "Okay... whatever you say. In all seriousness though, what did Keith even do?" 

Lance was silent for a few seconds before giving a deep breath. "He kissed me. Keith  _fucking_ Kogane kissed me on the lips." Following that, Lance buried his face in his hands. Hunk patted Lance on his shoulder while Pidge replied, "... Not really seeing the problem here. Aren't you guys fake-dating? Isn't this supposed to help the media actually buy your relationship?"

"It's just that... we're _friends_! Amigos! Comrades! Friends don't kiss each other, okay?" Hunk gave him a worried look, "Did the kiss mean anything to you?" 

 

If that was the million dollar question, then Lance would've lost it. 

 

"I... I don't know. It only lasted for a few seconds. How am I supposed to know if there was any meaning to it?"

He sighed, Lance was confused. The kiss didn't meant nothing to him. Nothing, nada, zilch. Just as Hunk was about to open his mouth, their group was bombarded with girls Lance has never seen before. Realizing what was about to happen, Pidge covered their head with both of their hands,  _"Oh fucking god."_

"Lance!I saw your Instagram post, that picture was so fucking cute!" ... "You and Keith are  _absolutely_ couple goals! ... "God, I wish I were you!"

There were so many comments directed towards Lance, he could only make out a only two or three. It was what Lance  _really_ needed during his time of crisis. He took a giant sip out of his cup and braced himself for the worst.

* * *

 

Keith hates himself for doing what he did. He barely got any sleep because he was freaking the fuck out for kissing Lance. Even so, it was barely a peck. It was a mistake and shouldn't have happened. And now? Keith has a photo shoot to go to and boy, does he need shit ton of makeup to cover his dark circles. 

Keith walked in the set with Kolivan by his side. They didn't talk much, usually it was just Kolivan telling Keith his schedule for the day... and the occasional "Don't mess things up, kid". Within seconds of walking into the set, his makeup artist, Romelle, caught his eye. Romelle had blonde hair that was reached to her mid-back. She had a pink glint to her eyes and was a nice person in general.

"Hello Mr.Kog- Oh geez, what the hell happened to your face?"

Okay, she was  _usually_ nice. Keith sighed, "Lack of sleep. You're going to need to put a ton of concealer under my eyes." Romelle nodded her head, "Yeah, no kidding. Anyways, Ms. Altea is already on set if you wanted to talk to her."

 

Allura Altea was another good friend of Keith's. In fact, her father owns  _Altea Magazine_ and she was the one who helped him get on the cover. Allura was already in her outfit for the photo shoot and her long silver locks stood out against her dark skin. She was beautiful, no doubt about it. He's gay, though. 

Allura's blue eyes met with Keith's and she became enthralled, "Keith! It's so good to see you again! How are you doing?" She leaned in to give Keith a hug and he returned the gesture, "I'm doing good, thanks for asking." Allura smiled at Keith once they let go. "I heard that you're dating someone! What was his name again, Leandro? No, that doesn't even sound right."

It took Allura minute or two before it clicked, "Lance! That's his name! He's real cute huh?" Keith laughed nervously, "Yeah... he really is." Romelle had called for Keith's name and he sat down to get his makeup done with Allura keeping him company. "You need to introduce me to him sometime. How did you guys meet?" 

Keith hummed, "We were childhood friends, actually." He stared fondly at the his ring. "I met him in first grade on the recess field. I was just minding my own business, playing with the butterflies and ladybugs that were around. Then... here comes this kid that I have never seen before standing in front of me. He stares me down with the bluest of eyes and do you know what he said?"

 

Allura shook her head. Keith sighed, "He took a good look at my Crocs and said 'What are _those_?'" 

 

Allura snorted, prompting her to laugh with tears in her eyes. "There's no way that happened, oh my god. _Crocs_ , really Keith?" He shrugged, "They are comfy. You should try wearing them." She smirked, "Hmm, easy pass for me. Tell me the rest of your story." 

"Well, turns out that he liked my Crocs, thank you very much, and the next day he rolled up to school with his own. Ever since then, we'd become the best of friends. I moved and it's been  _years_ since I last saw him, but I ran into him about a week ago. And here we are today." 

"Damn, you guys are inseparable. Was it love at first sight?"

 

Just then, the two of them heard the photograph yell "Five minutes!" Allura patted Keith's shoulder, "You better get dressed or he'll come for you. I'll see you on set!" She walked away and Romelle put the finishing touches on Keith. She hummed, "I'm curious as well; was it love at first sight with you and Lance?" Keith stood up and fluffed her hair around before walking to his room. "Thanks for the coverage." 

He paused and turned before her. "And... you could say that."

 

* * *

_[Photo of Allura and Keith's photo shoot]_

Liked by **kkogane** **, shirogone, and 163,284 others**

 **princessallura** It was fun working with one of my dear friend _@kkogane_ for the next issue of Altea! Be sure to get a copy next month! :D 

_View all 3832 comments_

**kkogane ✓** omg yes queen

 **princessallura ✓** @kkogane never... type that ever again

 **shirogone ✓** @princessallura @kkogane omg yes queens 

_2 HOURS AGO_

* * *

 

 

"Oh not this shit again." 

 

Lance was walking out of his last period of the day, just to see another group of people hang around the parking lot. There stood the guy himself with his bike: Keith Kogane. Lance couldn't help but feel jittery. How the heck was he supposed to talk to Keith after last night? 

_Stay calm, Lance. It was only a kiss. Nothing more, nothing less._

He straightened his posture and walked towards Keith and his peers that were surrounding him. Lance coughed and Keith looked up. He smiled and threw a peace sign up, "Hi Lance."

Fully aware of the crowd behind him, Lance gave a smirk back, "Hi _babe_ , you taking me out to another date or something?" Keith hummed, "Hmm... maybe later, hop on. We're going to _Balmera."_ Lance did so without any hesitation and put on the helmet Keith handed to him. The two of them waved the crowd goodbye and the drove away.

 

After ordering their usuals, the two of them sat down next to a window. It was awkward and no one was saying anything. Keith grabbed his cup and took a sip. Lance coughed, "So, what's up? Is there something you needed to tell me?"

Keith traced the brim of his cup, "Oh, yeah. Well you see... this Saturday is this movie premiere night and I don't suppose you wanted to...?" Lance gleamed, "Oh would I! This is so exciting, I honestly can't wait." Keith nodded his head, "Cool, I'll have a ride pick us up because my bike isn't really... ideal for this event. Just so you know, make sure you dress formally." 

"Yeah yeah, I'm not that dumb Keith. Anyways... was that all?" Lance had a feeling this wasn't what Keith wanted to talk to him about. Maybe he was wrong.

Keith blinked, "Right... well.. you see..." he sighed, "Geez, I don't know how to put this out without making it awkward, but Kolivan wants us to  _really_ sell the relationship at the premiere." 

 

Oh.

 

Lance gulped, "Uh, is that so?"

 _Fuckity fuck fuck!_ Maybe Keith remembered the kiss after all. Or maybe not, but Lance wouldn't even dare to bring it up right now.

Keith slowly nodded his head, "Yeah... but I don't want you to be put against your will or anything. I want you to be comfortable, so... we really don't have-" Lance fiercely shook his head, for some reason because he isn't really THINKING right now, "No no no, it's okay, it just depends on what we have to do. Like... do we have to kiss or something?"

Someone needs to tell Lance to shut up right now because he specifically did not want to bring up the topic of kissing. 

Lance blushed red and was having trouble finding the words to say  _Wait, I didn't mean to say that._

 

"...Kissing?" started Keith, "I don't want you to be forced to kiss me, Lance. We really don't have to kiss at all in our fake-relationship." 

Lance was  _beyond_ shocked. This was coming from a boy who actually  _kissed_ him last night, and now he's telling Lance that they don't have to kiss? Actually, it's better that Keith didn't remember that they kissed, pecked, whatever it was. Lance let out a deep breathe, he was just overreacting, honestly.

But... some part of him  _wanted_ to kiss Keith. It was so selfish, but he just wanted to experience the warmth from last night. Lance didn't know what to make of whatever feelings he had whenever he's with Keith, but he is confused. Confused that he is feeling these emotions in the first place. 

Lance murmured, "I mean... we could try?" Lance looked up to Keith's eyes that had widen from what Lance had said. "Err.. forget that I said-"

 

Just then, Keith had leaned against the table to bring his face closer to his face. Lance could feel his breath as he stared into Keith's deep, indigo eyes. Keith smirked, "You mean like this?" Lance gulped,  _what the fuck is going on._ Without even thinking, Lance leaned in, pressing their lips together. 

It was soft and unlike any other kiss Lance had ever experienced. Compared to last night, he could really take in the moment. It was slow and hesitant, as neither boy wanted the other to be afraid. The taste of Keith was so bittersweet, because Lance knew that this kiss meant nothing at all. But... he couldn't stop himself. It was new and so different. 

_Maybe it did mean something to me._

Just then, Keith let go and the two of them stared at each other's eyes. Keith went to lean back on his chair and crossed his arms, awaiting Lance for his response. Lance, who was dumbly starstruck, blinked at the boy in front of him. "Yeah... yeah I guess something like that." He looked outside the window, clearly red in the face, trying to process his thoughts. He saw that there were a couple of girls with their phones out, but he disregarded them. Meanwhile, Keith continued their conversation as if the nothing happened. "We should only do that whenever there's cameras and only if we are both comfortable with it at the moment, okay?" "Yeah, I agree." 

They continued talking for an hour or so, but Lance was beyond distracted. Their conversations weren't awkward, but it was clear that Lance wasn't able to think around Keith after what just occurred.

Looking at the time, Lance realized that he had a test tomorrow that he needed to study for (He actually doesn't, but Lance can't handle being around Keith right now). He asked Keith if he could take him home, to which he obliged. They said their goodbyes when they reached to his house and Lance watched as Keith drove away. After, he ran to his room and took a moment to assess what happened at the _Balmera_. He laid in his bed and stared at the ceiling. He thought about the kiss and his heart started to pound louder than ever, making a ringing noise against his ears.

 

How was he going to survive this fake relationship if Keith is making him feel this way?

 

 

Meanwhile, Keith knew that it was wrong to dismiss the kiss last night, but he didn't want to make things awkward between the two of them. It was best to forget that the kiss had ever happened that night... and yet, Keith did the same exact thing the same day except he was very awake. He had driven back to his apartment after dropping off Lance and immediately went to his bedroom.

He thought about what happened today and immediately grew anxious about what would happen in the future. How long is this fake relationship thing going to last? How much will it affect his friendship with Lance?

Keith shook his head. He put on more comfortable clothes and decided to take a nap to forget the thoughts.

 

But his own heart betrayed him by hammering loudly against his chest. How was he going to survive this fake relationship if Lance was making him feel this way?

 

And so, the two boys laid against their beds, wondering about what could be. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> title: accidentally in love - counting crows
> 
> THIS IS SUCH A MESS I DONT KNOW WHAT I AM DOING ANYMORE DKEKADJEFJFJN  
> also dont hate on the Crocs... bc im so excited to get my Crocs LMFAO
> 
> i hope you guys liked the chapter AAAA i just wanted to progress things and maybe things will progress more at the movie premiere! there wasnt much social media, but there will be a shit ton next time
> 
> anyways, i have been really really busy (you know me... mental breakdowns every week 1!111!) but i am doing my best to give you guys updates bc i loveeee u ALL!!!
> 
> until then, see y'all next time <3


End file.
